•The late Chimaobi’s father (left) with sympathisers during the funeral PHOTO: CHISOM OJUKWU

The remains of some students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi (MUBIPOLY), Adamawa State, who were killed on October 1 by yet unknown gunmen have been buried. WALE AJETUNMOBI, CHISOM OJUKWU (500-Level Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Owerri) and AYODEJI ADESINA (Corps member, NYSC Onitsha) attended the funeral.

TEARS flowed freely last week when the remains of some of the slain students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi (MUBI POLY), Adamawa State, were buried.

Chimaobi Venamtius Mbaegbu and Chimezie Odigbo were buried in their home states of Imo and Anambra; James Ayodele Odewale was buried in Adamawa where his family lives. They were among the 40 killed on the 52nd Independence anniversary on October 1 by yet unknown gunmen.

Chimaobi’s body arrived in Umuaju Mpam Ekwereazu in Ahiazu Mbaise, Imo State for burial in the early hours of the day. The late Chimaobi was an HND student of Civil Engineering.

Though, the late Chimaobi’s hostel is in Wuro Patugi he was not there when the gunmen struck in the community. He had gone to Turowada to see his course mate, Chimezie Emmanuel Odigbo. Around 11pm of that fateful day, both friends fell to assailants’ daggers.

During the requiem mass held for the late Chimaobi at St. Anthony’s Parish, Mpam, his mother, Josephine Mbaegbu, described him as God-fearing and a complete gentleman. The late Chimaobi was the last child of his parents, Nzena Ozo and Lolo Mbaegbu.

In a brief funeral rite before his body was lowered into the grave, Lolo Josephine said his son was brought up in the Roman Catholic way.

The late student attended basic school in his hometown until he moved to Stella Maris Secondary School, Aba, when he was in SSS 2. “Chimaobi finished Secondary School in 2004 and tried repeatedly to be admitted into some of the universities around, all to no avail,” Sunny Mbaegbu, his brother recounted amid sobs, adding: “this was why he applied to far away Mubi in 2008 where he was admitted pronto.”

Mr Joseph Ugwuatu, the choirmaster of the Parish, told CAMPUSLIFE in tears that the late Chimaobi was one of the best tenor singers in the choir. “He was a good boy, very active whenever he was around. In fact, he sang with us in August which was the last time he visited home before his death,” Ugwuatu recalled.

The late Chimaobi was also said to belong to the Catholic Lay Readers Association and Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON). The deceased always donned his cultural attires proudly for all to see. In MUBI POLY, the late Chimaobi was the 11th Igwe of the National Association of Igbo Students. Back home in Mpam, he was an active member of the Akusinachi Age Grade until his death.

Emeka Anyanwu, a commercial motorcyclist and classmate of the late Chimaobi, expressed shock at the death of his secondary school friend. He described the deceased as “very cool-headed”.

The late Chimaobi’s father, John, is a driver. His mother, Josephine, is a petty trader. His elder brother, Sunny, a teacher at the staff school of Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), spoke on behalf of the family, said: “We have resigned ourselves to fate but this country of ours must not take this massacre of our beloved ones for granted.”

Also in Amakwa, Nza, Eziora and Ugworie, the four villages comprising Ozubulu Kingdom in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, the arrival of the hearse that brought Chimezie’s remains cast a pall of grief on the kingdom.

For two hours, the body was laid outside the father’s house. Hundreds of sympathisers thronged the Odigbos’ compound to commiserate with the family. The late Chimezie, was in HND 1 Civil Engineering.

The late Chimezie’s father, Mr Hyacinth Odigbo, a business merchant, was gloomy. His eyeballs turned red when he sighted the hearse bringing the body of his son. He wept profusely as the coffin was being removed from the hearse. Sympathisers took him to a corner, consoling him, as the rites of passage were being performed.

When CAMPUSLIFE moved close to inverview him, the wailing Odigbo declared: “Chimezie’s killers have dealt the whole family a devastating blow.” He told our correspondents that nothing has ever devastated him like the death of “my promising son”.

He said: “It sounded unbelievable to me when the news of Chimezie’s death was broken to us on October 2 but when I saw the body of my son, I cried like a baby. I would have preferred death to take me rather than my promising 24-year-old son.”

He rained curses on the killers as he dashed repeatedly to Chimezie’s grave. He urged the government to find and punish the assailants.

The late Chimezie’s sister, Chiamaka Gloria Odigbo, was inconsolable when the deceased’s coffin was brought to the family compound. The HND 1 student of Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri, said: “No amount of compensation can bring my brother back to life. We don’t want any compensation or commiseration from government; all we want them to do is to stop these senseless killings in all parts of the country.

Mr John Odewale, said he was still in shock over the killing of his son, James Ayodele, who was an NDII Electrical/Electronics Engineering student. He condemned the Federal and Adamawa State governments for not visiting the bereaved families.

Speaking to our correspondent from Yola, Odewale said: “My son was a tall, brilliant and promising student, who was serious with his studies. This was why I was ready to spend my last kobo on him before he was killed by wicked people, who never deserved to live among men.

“Since the death of Ayodele, I have not been myself because of the shock. I am just leaving hospital now and my wife has not been able to do anything since they killed Ayodele. You will be surprised that the government, whether state or federal, has not issued a statement consoling the families of the victims. This is insensitivity because the students were killed over their inability to manage the security of the country. The only people that visited us are the management of the polytechnic, who brought N30,000. Is this a country?”

Etenge Ibritam, HND I Civil Engineering, hardly found words to describe her slain colleagues. She said: “We ate together, read together, and did everything together. They were like brothers to me.”

Innocent Chukwu, a course mate of the slain students, escaped from being killed by the assailants because he went to pick a notebook he forgot in school that fateful Monday. Innocent told CAMPUSLIFE that the attack was not fallout of the Students’ Union election. He described his slain colleagues as promising students, saying they would be missed by the Rotary Club of the polytechnic.